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Workplace trauma often hides in plain sight. It doesn’t always come from a single violent event or a dramatic crisis. Instead, it can build slowly, like a quiet erosion of safety and trust. Bullying, harassment, systemic racism, public humiliation, or witnessing harm without the ability to act can all leave deep marks. Sometimes, the body senses danger before the mind fully understands it. This kind of trauma can leave a lasting imprint that affects how someone feels, thinks,

The launch of the Fifth Element Book Club offers a unique chance to connect through reading and reflection. This monthly virtual gathering focuses on texts that inspired the Fifth Element Framework, helping participants deepen their practice of resilience, repair, and liberation. Our first book, Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer, is a powerful blend of Indigenous wisdom, ecological science, and storytelling. It invites us to see reciprocity and care as active, livi

At Fifth Element, we believe that repair is not optional. It is the work of living in relationship—with ourselves, with one another, and with the land. Our framework insists that justice is not abstract, but embodied in the choices we make, the structures we build, and the voices we amplify. The Wabanaki Nations—the Penobscot, Passamaquoddy, Mi’kmaq, and Maliseet—have carried their sovereignty for centuries. It is inherent, predating the State of Maine, and recognized by the

Trauma is often misunderstood as something that happens only in the mind. People may think that if you just "get over it" or "think positively," the effects will disappear. But trauma is much more than thoughts or memories. It lives in the body and triggers automatic responses that can feel overwhelming and confusing. This post explores why trauma is not just "all in your head" and explains how the body reacts to traumatic events. It also introduces the Rewind Technique, a me